The petition is growing fast. Please invite your friends and colleagues to sign it too, and pass the word to parents and even pupils.
Your comments paint a vivid picture of how absurd and damaging and it would be to target budget cuts on TA jobs. We've now moved the comments from the petition form straight onto this page so please add your message to Michael Gove by clicking on the "COMMENTS" link below this post. Don't forget to say what your role is (teaching assistant, teacher, parent, governor etc.). Thanks!
I am a teaching assistant in Reception at a primary school in Warrington. We are lucky to have a teaching assistant in every class, sometimes 2 or 3. TA's enable SEN children to get the support they desperately need. Without TA's, these children would suffer. We are also vital in covering classes during teacher absences, enabling the children to have continuity. I just hope Mr Gove takes note of the comments and safeguards TA posts for the sake of the future of education.
ReplyDeleteI was a TA for ten years and now visit schools to assess TAs in the workplace. I see fantastic work every day and know how valued and valuable our TAs are.
ReplyDeleteWithout TAs, how will teachers be able to deliver differentiated work? Who will motivate the child who struggles to focus? Who will support the child whose problems at home are affecting their learning?
Without TAs, these children will be left behind.
Every child matters.
I'm an HLTA covering classes full time in a primary school some of which is for PPA which I plan and prepare for myself. We have two other HLTAs and many TAs in our school have higher responsibilities ie., we have a behaviour mentor, learning mentor, speech and language mentor, ASD mentor, G&T mentor and a TA working with children with Dyslexia. We have two very experienced TAs working in the foundation classes and the rest of our TA staff give experienced support to SEN children in small group sessions that they plan for themselves. So as you can see the Government are already saving truck loads of money. Who is going to replace these workers as their skills have been built up over many years of dedication to a job they do for love?
ReplyDeleteI have been a laboratory technician for the last 20 years.
ReplyDeleteIn one of my previous schools, the headteacher, who was called Victor Burgess called in all support staff just before and OFSTED and told us that he considered our views of the school particularly significant because we see the school from a different angle. Indeed we do. We see every teacher perform in the classroom and we know all that is going on in the school from the staffroom gossip to the ability of every teacher. And so I observe that in every school I have been in , teaching assistants have been performing a very valuable role indeed in the classroom. I believe that they are very poorly paid, as indeed lab technicians are too. But in schools where one teacher has to teach up to 30 sometimes unruly children they provide fantastic support, on a one to one level and also being that extra adult in the classroom to help with order.I have witnessed appalling scenes in which lone teachers have been struggling with very unruly classes and only the front bench are getting any learning value, the rest of the class completely wasting their time. I have personally adopted the role of a TA in such cases, which have been frequent, and got kids on target and concentrating on what they should be doing and I have found this, though stimulating, to be extremely demanding. I have had the gratitude of teachers when I have done this. So from my position at the coal face, I can say for certain that TA's are very much needed in schools nowadays. I am horrified that there is even the notion that they shoulc be scrapped. They provide fantastic value for money, they work extremely hard and they are as dedicated to the success of the pupils as regular teachers and I am appalled that they receive such short shrift from highly educated people in charge who are really not on the ball and should really take note of what actually is and should be happening in the schools that they manage.
I'm a parent of a 8 year old boy with very low self esteem as I have had severe post natal depression which affected my parenting ability. The teaching assistants have encouraged him both with learning (he gives up very easily) and building up his confidence socialising with other children. Without their assistance he would probably have had to go through SENCO and get extra help so in the long run the TAs have saved the government a lot of time and money by tackling the situation straight away and at source.
ReplyDeleteIf TAs were scrapped I suspect schools with well off parents would manage to get volunteers to help fill the gap but in the areas where people have to work, guess what, the poorer families would lose out yet again.
So how much learning would take place in a classroom with out any ta, I would say very little! For a start we help with the extra jobs that a teacher finds themselves saddled with, we help less able children function in the class,We help stop disruptive behaviour, we take care of displays,the list is too long to mention , this would be an extremely short sighted move to save not a great deal of money and result in a poorer education for a lot of children who are our future!!!
ReplyDeleteI am an HLTA and a couple of mornings a week I cover classes for PPA time (this in itself is a government initiative). I am paid about half the rate of a teacher, and so, in using me to cover these mandatory absences, the school is saving money. I am only paid for the hours I work, and only for 39 weeks of the year, despite the fact that I plan and organise much of the work at home. The workload for today's teachers is immense. Apart from the daily teaching ( along with the necessary planning) there are countless initiatives, paperwork galore, extra curricular activities which are expected of them, to name but a few. I don't see how a teacher in primary could manage their workload without an assistant. All teachers have to have PPA time and I am the cheap option. Imagine how costs would soar if a supply teacher had to come in to cover these hours. I am often the link between the pupil and the teacher, and, sometimes, between the parent and the teacher. Education would certainly suffer if TAs were removed from schools in this country. And let's face it - our educational standards are already pretty low compared to the rest of Europe. It mustn't sink any further.
ReplyDeleteI am a Teaching Assistant in a Primary school. This school is having to reduce the amount of TA hours as its funding has already been cut. The management of the school does NOT want to do this but has no choice but to make Teaching Assistants redundant. On the other hand to save some money (and jobs) a HLTA will cover PPA in place of a teacher/supply teacher this is going to save around 20k. Class Teachers have also been cut and we now have mixed year group classes causing the remaining teachers a planning headache. The government should be investing in childrens futures, being in a class of 33 will not "enrich" a pupils learning, it will only hinder progress especially if no TA support is available to help facilitate learning. How can anyone motivate children to be life long learners if their primary years are spent in noisey, overcrowded, rundown classrooms with a stressed out teacher trying to cope without any assistance.
ReplyDeleteI am a TA in a junior school.My main role is to work with children who have "special educational needs". I have specialist training to help children with many learning disorders. Without my and my colleagues(TA's)help the children in our school would not have been able to access the curriculum. They would leave the junior school without knowing how to read, write, spell etc. I thought the 3 R's were at the heart of the government's strategy. Gone are the days when TA's just cleaned paint pots and sharpened pencils!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteTAs are very highly qualified and trained in most schools. The more proactive and progressive schools use their TAs in creative and imaginative ways, utalising their skills againsts the neds of the students. This is a very successful way for the students to become engaged and learn the skills necessary for the rest of their lives.
ReplyDeleteTas should not be dismissed out of hand, each should be assessed on his/her own merit, we are not all the same. Maybe incompetent TAs could be weedled out, like happened a few years ago to incompetent teachers. Some do exisit within our schools.
I am a govenor and know what valuable members of staff TAs are. I frequently ask the advise of the Senior TA, HLTA, at the school. The advise has always been objective, impartial and proved to take situations forward, including staff relationships.
i think this is incredibly unfair, Tas are no longer the "mum's army" and are now highly dedicated, qualified (often to foundation degree or higher level), experienced professionals who go above and beyond their role to support the school, staff and pupils.
ReplyDeleteYes we still change nappies/children who have had accidents,clear up after poorly children and administer first aid-but this is AS WELL AS, our more professional duties, this includes providing support to a range of children who may have "SEND" or "LDD" (as OFSTED like to use), we run intervention groups, nurture, seal activities, provide highly differentiated currciulums, assess, attend training and meetings, lead staff. etc etc, the role just goes on and on. I challenge you to come into schools (those in more deprived areas especially) and shadow a TA for a few weeks and then see if you still feel we are dispensable.
I am a TA in a secondary school, i am one of a very strong, fabulous team of 17 (it wil be 15 in september as 2 have lost their hours) we all have specialisums such as i specialise in Autism, theres a medical TA, Dyslexia, physical needs, learning difficulties, speech and language, school refusers, behavioural. We all work with a range of SEN children and have got many through school. We work with complex children with very severe needs who's parents, outside agencies and primary schools didnt think they would make it through maintstream school, but they have exceeded all expectations. Teachers rely on us for lots of support within the class and i feel that we are truely valued. We are all highly trained and work so hard to get the best out of the children we work with and build relationships with the families of the children. I think that the government, instead of targeting us lower paid workers, should look at reducing the wages of overpaid head teachers and deputy heads!
ReplyDeleteI have been a TA for 18yrs and without my input a significant amount of children would not have been able to reach their potential. I have recently started the HLTA programme which, due to cuts, is now under threat of not being continued for the forseeable future. I entered this programme so that I could assist the Teacher and be even more aware of meeting the challenges children with SEN meet on a daily basis. What's going to happen to these children if funding continues to be cut? They have a right to be treated equally as is stated in law. They will not fulfill their potential without the dedication of their teaching assistants. We are a valuable resource which teachers, children and families would miss.
ReplyDeleteI am a TA in a primary school and to put it in simple terms...We are overworked, we are underpaid, but thankfully for everyone we do it because we LOVE the job and most of all we believe strongly in inclusion and we believe in the many children we help through this sometimes very difficult chapter in their lives.
ReplyDeleteI am a TA in a primary school. Any TA hours that are given up are not being reallocated and we have been told that there are no funds for training for the year 2010/11. I was at a loss when asked what my career expectations were in my latest review. I have worked for over 11 years 1:1 with SEN children, often unpaid hours and in the knowledge that if the child leaves, my contract ends. A long way from fat cat packages and golden handshakes that other professionals take for granted. And yes, I do consider myself a professional.
ReplyDeleteMr. Gove clearly has not updated his knowledge of what goes on in primary schools for a long time! The job of a teaching assistant has developed into a highly professional one and it is inconceivable that schools should be run without TAs! It would be like running a kingdom without subjects.
ReplyDeleteI would like to ask Mr. Gove how he envisages an emergency situation in the class or on the sports field if only a teacher is present? The TA can quietly and efficiently take the required action and provide first aid.
In a large classroom it is impossible for a teacher alone to make sure that every child has everything they need to work. Often a TA has to provide special equipment, the right work environment or help children in setting themselves up for the task in hand. After all we want all children to do well, despite varying abilities.
If Mr. Gove feels that TAs are so easily dispensed with, how does he see the future of children/young people with a wide range of special educational needs in our schools? Or maybe he was planning to build lots and lots of new special schools? He will need to staff those though and it won't come cheap! I think he has a bargain in all those hard working and under paid TAs!!
I am a TA at primary school level and as most other TAs I love my job.
How short-sighted of Mr. Gove, particularly during the economic down-turn. What about 'every child matters' and their 'economic well-being'? TAs are highly skilled, professional members of any school team, in fact we often offer continuity during turnover of class teachers. Mr. Gove should ask parents what they think (or does he already know the answer?)
ReplyDeleteI am a 1:1 TA at a primary school working with a child with severe physical difficulties. Without my support this child would be unable to attend this school and would have to attend a special school even though there are no problems with his behaviour or ability to do the same work as the other children. How would this be best for the child and countless others like him.
ReplyDeleteI am also the parent of a child at the school I work at, who struggles with much of his work. With the support of the TAs he has managed to reach his expected level in reading and spelling. Sadly due to cuts he has not had as much help with Numeracy and he has suffered for this.
Our TAs already go above and beyond the call of duty, often with no thanks and certainly without the pay to reflect their skills and commitment to these children. I would hate to think what will happen to those precious SAT scores without TAs helping the struggling children to scrape through.
Without TAs, the children will suffer and so in the future our country will suffer as result.
Perhaps Mr Gove would like to get out of his office sometime and conduct a proper survey on what a TA actually does in the classroom? I work as a TA in a primary school, a job I took on as a way of "giving something back" to the community where my children were educated. I was a city professional before having children and becoming a TA and have brought my previous experience into this job and take care of lot of the deputy head's admin as well as supporting the children in the classroom, be they struggling to access the curriculum or are G&T and need extension work in small groups. A TA's job description would fill pages and Mr Gove is foolish if he thinks that schools can operate efficiently without them - I think the education system would fall apart without us. Think about it, Mr Gove - don't make rash statements without doing your research first. Make the effort to really find out what cutting funding for TA training would do to this country's schools.
ReplyDeleteHow I agree with a previous post re. overpaid heads and deputys. I've worked with some who should not call themselves teachers. I was covering a Y6 class three weeks ago and my head teacher was covering Y5. She actually sent a child in to ask me what mode meant! Another time I was working in a classroom when I heard the teacher tell the class that the product was what you got when you added two numbers together! Quite frightening really :( Mr. Gove, get into a classroom and take a good look at what we TAs actually do. We may not have degrees but we can spell and we know where to put an apostrophe! We often correct the teacher.
ReplyDeleteThis is a totally ridiculous idea, by a totally ridiculous government. TAs are not a luxury, they are an absolute necessity in the classroom. Without them the teacher would not be able to cope and the children would not learn anything, its as simple as that. What on earth is this government (for want of a better word) thinking??? I am a TA myself and my teacher has commented many times that without my help in the classroom she would not be able to manage her job, which is extremely stressful even with a TA.
ReplyDeleteMy 6 year old son who is on the autistic spectrum would not be able to successfully participate in mainstream primary school if he did not have excellent TA support.
ReplyDeleteHi I am a Nursery Nurse working in a nursery attached to a state Primary school. Since my training as a NNEB in 1975 I have seen many changes to status, training and workload to being a professional educator. I do not recieve a huge wage, but higher then TA's but feel we have been forgotten in all pay talks and training. TAs have seen their status elevated with a career path unlike NNEBs. This said it looks as if we will all be in the same place, the dole queue. What a waste of dedication and expertise but lets be grateful school milk is to be saved. Well worth £50 million.
ReplyDeleteI am a TA working in an Autism Support Unit attached to a mainstream secondary school. The 1:1 support I and my colleagues provide enables the students we work with to integrate and to participate in mainstream lessons. Without it the vast majority of our students would be unable to cope in the busy environment of a mainstream secondary school and would therefore either require different and much more expensive provision or (more likely) end up being excluded or become school refusers. Lose the TAs and where is the "inclusion", why would anyone believe you thought "every child matters"?
ReplyDeleteLesley Ward
ReplyDeleteI am an ex-headteacher now employed by Chichester University as a Link Tutor, working in schools to support student teachers.
In both roles, I have been hugely impressed by the professional skills and attitudes demonstrated by TAs and HLTAs in supporting teachers and children in classrooms. Over the years, more and more has been expected of schools in integrating, socialising and meeting the extensive educational needs of our children. I have observed in all the schools I visit, not only the high level of care offered to individual children by staff, but high standards achieved by children in relation to their baseline on entry. A significant contribution is made by TAs. It is inconceivable that any government should willingly jeopardise children's learning by even considering to curtail this vital role.
I have been a TA and HLTA for the past 10yrs and I am also married to an overworked Primary School teacher! As TA's we are, on the whole, qualified individuals with a desire and commitment to help all children reach their potential whether those with SEN, G & T or those who are slap bang in the middle. We run intervention groups for Literacy, Numeracy, Speech and Language, English as an Additional Language, Sign Language, Social Skills, etc, etc. and we attend training courses to enable us to do all of this correctly. We need and receive training on autism, dyspraxia, dyslexia, ADHD, diabetes, first aid, behaviour management etc, etc. The lists are endless. Are pay in no way reflects what we do. Gone are the days when TA's just washed paint pots and wiped noses, for a long time schools have only employed qualified people who they want to retain and yet we are still only paid for 39 weeks a year - what other employer would be able to get away with that? I gave up my HLTA position because I was teaching, planning and marking as much as my husband was and yet I was being paid only a fraction of what he was, I was given no PPA and I often had a class of over 30 primary children in a school where 2/3 of each class were on statements or IEP's with no TA support. In my last job I was placed with a senior manager as class teacher, he didn't plan lessons, never differentiated work, could not control behaviour and was often not in class leaving me to cover. I planned, diferentiated and resourced work for any of his planned absences and often ran lessons when he was there or there would be no structure at all. When I would discuss my concerns with the Head Teacher/Deputy Head I was told that I was in there because they knew there was a problem and they needed someone strong to lead and carry the class - I was on 1/4 of the pay of the teacher and yet was expected to do do all of that as well as carry out my own duties of personal care for pupils, speech and language and physio programs, setting up reading schemes etc. I know I was with an unfortunate teacher for those 3years but my point is that TA's have to be qualified and able to turn there hand to anything. My husband views his TA as invaluable and they often work as a teamteach tagteam. She has a degree and ultimately wants to complete teacher training (as many TA's go on to do)but she cant at the moment while she has a young family and, like many of us, needs the income. I have been asked many times by colleagues and Head Teachers why I do not go on to teach but I, like many, cannot afford to take time out to do the necessary study and when I am not working I want to devote my time to family. However, I have proved by successfully gaining my HLTA status that I have the same skills as a teacher as we have to meet the same criteria in a shorter space of time and yet it is not reflected in our pay and conditions. The government is already saving probably billions of pounds by underpaying what are very hardworking, qualified and dedicated staff and they get away with it because alot of TA's are Mum's who held down good and well paid jobs before their children came along and who want to "be there" for there own children instead of putting them in childcare and at the same time realise that they have alot to offer to help imrove the education of not just their own children but others as well. Our positions and training should not be under threat, we should be recognised for what we are in our pay, conditions and training. We are a vital cog in a very large wheel and if you remove or damage that cog the education system would break down. Inclusion and insufficient "Special" schools has already damaged the education of the masses - those children being forced to be square pegs in round holes as well as those having to put up with the ensuing disruptive behaviour - take out or cut back on TA's and sit back and see results fall even further, more teachers leave the profession through even more stress and so on and so on.
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteI'm a qualified teaching assistant from a Primary school in Kent. We have up to 32 children in some of our classes.The children have a varied range of abilities which makes the use of a teaching assistant within the classroom invaluable.
We follow SEN plans for each child and they are observed and assessed by the teaching assistant (as directed by the teacher) Each term all of us TA'S (at random)are observed by our Head Teacher during lessons,this is to make sure that we are competant at giving adequate support to all of our children. Without us the Teachers would struggle to cope within the classroom, as their work load is increasing by the day.
I am a TA and work in a primary school in Devon and although the teachers are very good at what they do,i think they would find it very difficult to cope without TA's! Im not just blowing my own trumpet but all of the other excellent TA's that i work with too! We are able to do all those jobs that the teachers dont get time to do! We are under paid for what we do but the satisfaction we get from our jobs is incredible! I personally, love my job very much,and im sure i can speak for the other TA's that i work with. I work with year 6 children and have a group for Literacy and Numeracy.Last year in the run up to SATS,the group of children i worked with improved immensely,and some got better results than were predicted for them! Great achievement for them and for me too!Some children find it easier working in smaller groups especially if not in the top groups,they feel they can speak out more without feeling under pressure from the more able.Thats where TA's work their magic! TA's are more valuable than Mr Gove obviously realises. Lets hope this petition is a way to make him realise!! SAVE THE TA'S!!
ReplyDeleteA Grandfather, I can see the need for TA's in the present class environment, when Teachers are distracted by more and more redtape and away from actually teaching. Some of the present children have a very short concentration span, and TA's also help to keep them on the learning topic.
ReplyDeleteI am a HLTA who covers reception class for PPA or teacher absence. I think a teacher can earn up to £250 per day and i am no way getting £70 a day. Therefore i think we are saving the govornment a lot of money.
ReplyDeleteThe worst part of it is that all these politicians who are coming up with these ridiculous ideas their children attends private schools, so therefore they haven't got a clue what it is like in the real world. What do they expect us to do when we become unemployed? call us scroungers and tell us we need to find a job and they are able to tell us how much we can have a week. THEY DISGUST ME AND THEY MAKE ME SICK!!!!!
SAVE THE TA'S!!!!!!
I am a teaching assistant teaching not teacher as the government seems to think. I am there to assistant the children's learning not as in one report to help the teacher. I plan resource and cover classes,which I have been told is well prepared and carried out not as the report said as unprepared and low standard teaching. I have a cache level 3 plus a honours degree, so I am qualified.I have twenty years of experience of working with children with the knowledge of how they develop learn and grow, more than a lot of teachers get taught when they train.I work more hours to cover the school hols so I can get average wage but I do it because my life is to work with children and always has been. Now some snotty public school boys are threatening my whole career and livelihood to save money to then spend on increasing class sizes and employ more teachers. I'm sorry but not everything should be around qualifications, most people with high degrees have not got a clue about children. My classes love me and tell me this every day I have the time to talk well not as much as I use to as my work load has grown as the teachers has. Please some one see sense and,also think about all the old nursery nurses who had their name taken away now it could be our jobs too.please restore my faith in education because its going away slowly with this government.
ReplyDelete